Princess Qin? Lu Wanning nodded thoughtfully. Princess Qin had helped her last time. Although it wasn't much, it was still a kindness. She should go and thank her in person.
"You and Princess Qin both attend on the Empress Dowager. It's good to visit each other more often. You used to be too arrogant before. You only had Fu Rongxuan in your eyes and ignored everyone else. Look, there aren't many young ladies in the capital who are familiar with you."
Lu Wanning had a rather bad reputation. She was used to being overbearing. When she was a child, people still praised her for being lively and cute, but as she grew up, she became disliked by everyone. She hadn't thought much about it before, but now hearing her friend say this, she was suddenly startled.
Why did this lively and cute little girl suddenly become someone disliked by everyone? The original her was a bit domineering, but not extremely vicious. Even before Shi Aohan appeared, her reputation was already not very good.
While lost in thought, she heard the sound of horse hooves nearby.
Lu Wanning looked up and was surprised to see Lu Hongxi and Lu Hannian coming on horseback with their personal guards.
Lu Hongxi dismounted and strode over. He reached out to support Lu Wanning. "Ning'er, are you alright?"
Lu Wanning asked in surprise, "Father, Second Brother, why have you come?"
Lu Hannian explained, "This morning, Father received a message from His Highness, the Prince of Yu, saying that something had happened to you. So we rushed over immediately."
Lu Wanning was even more confused. Before they went out as bait yesterday, she and Zhen Yan had sent people back to the mansion to tell them not to worry. Why did the Prince of Yu send someone to say that they had had an accident early this morning?
Wasn't their abduction today on purpose?
Lu Wanning and Zhen Yan exchanged a look but didn't voice their doubts. Instead, she just asked, "Where is His Highness, the Prince of Yu?"
Lu Hongxi stroked her head. "His Highness, the Prince of Yu, is busy with state affairs every day. How could he have the time to come here? Just the affairs in the capital are enough to keep him occupied. Ning'er, are you exhausted? And how about Yan'er?"
Zhen Yan nodded. Her father used to be a general under Lu Hongxi. Because of his outstanding martial arts and excellent leadership skills, he was promoted to a fourth - rank general and then no longer served under Lu Hongxi. But because of their past relationship, Zhen Yan and Lu Wanning were close friends, and she naturally respected Lu Hongxi, her father's former superior, very much.
"I'm fine too. But I didn't rest well last night and haven't eaten much. Ning'er just vomited. She must be feeling very uncomfortable."
Hearing this, Lu Hongxi quickly supported Lu Wanning. "Ning'er vomited? Are you feeling better now?"
Lu Wanning quickly said, "Much better. I'm just... a bit hungry."
Lu Hongxi laughed and took them to a nearby town to find some food to fill their stomachs.
They had just sat down for a while when Lord Fang rushed over. He bowed to Lu Hongxi and said, "Your Highness, thanks to the County Princess and Miss Zhen this time, we were able to raid the lair of the villains."
Since it involved Lu Wanning, Lu Hongxi couldn't help but ask, "I heard that this case has remained unsolved for a long time. His Highness, the Prince of Yu, actually asked my daughter to assist. Is there some key difficulty in this case?"
Lord Fang sighed slightly and nodded. "Your Highness, this case is quite difficult. Every time we got to a crucial point in the investigation, the specific clues would break off. This time, with the help of the County Princess and Miss Zhen, we were able to find this place. But I'm afraid... it will still be difficult later."
Lu Hongxi frowned and asked, "Why is it difficult?"
Lord Fang lowered his voice. "We suspect that this matter is related to the Prince of Xiao."
Lu Hongxi said seriously, "Even the Son of Heaven is equal to the common people before the law. Why do you still have concerns?"
Lord Fang just got up and walked to one side. Then he knelt down and kowtowed to Lu Hongxi.
"Your Highness, this matter originally had nothing to do with the County Princess and Miss Zhen. It was just that His Highness, the Prince of Yu, arranged for the County Princess to help temporarily. I'm afraid that after today's incident, the Prince of Xiao will do harm to the County Princess and Miss Zhen in the future."
Hearing this, Lu Hannian sneered. "The Prince of Xiao has always been idle. Now that he has done such things that harm the common people, my sister and Miss Zhen are ridding the people of a scourge. How dare he cause trouble because of this?"
Lord Fang quickly said, "It would be good if nothing happens. I suggest that the County Princess and Miss Zhen should be more careful during this period."
Lu Hongxi nodded and smiled. "Thank you for your reminder, Lord Fang. Don't worry. I will surely have someone watch over my daughter carefully when we get back. Yan'er, if you have nothing to do during this period, don't run around. I'll also have a good talk with your father later."
Lu Wanning had been burying her head in eating. The more she listened, the more something seemed off. Before, she thought that His Highness, the Prince of Yu, must have disliked her and deliberately made things difficult for her. But now, thinking about it, it seemed that all this was aimed at her father?
"Father, that..."
After Lord Fang left, Lu Hongxi heard Lu Wanning's voice and turned back to comfort her. "Ning'er, eat quickly. We'll go home soon. As for the Prince of Xiao, Ning'er, don't worry. You're a county princess. He won't dare to do anything to you. Hannian, when you go back today, send a guard team to the Zhen family. You must protect Yan'er well."
Zhen Yan was dazed for a moment and waved her hand. "Your Highness, don't worry about me. I know martial arts."
Lu Hongxi laughed heartily and told them to eat first without any room for doubt.
When they got back to the mansion, Lu Wanning soaked in the bathtub and cleaned herself thoroughly. Only then did she feel much refreshed.
Jiyue lay beside the bathtub, looking at her with teary eyes. "Your Highness, you should think twice before doing anything in the future. If not, at least take this servant with you. Your Highness doesn't know. When this servant heard the attendant from the Prince of Yu's mansion say that something had happened to Your Highness today, this servant almost couldn't live on."
Lu Wanning reached out and tapped her head. "What are you talking nonsense about? Isn't your county princess right here safe and sound?"
Jiyue still cried non - stop. "His Highness even kept it from the Princess Consort. It must have been very dangerous. Your Highness, no matter where you go in the future, this servant will follow you. This servant will never let Your Highness take risks alone."
Lu Wanning laughed. "You? You can't do anything. What would I take you for? If there really is danger, you'll just hold me back."
Jiyue looked at her aggrievedly. "Your Highness, you dislike Jiyue."
Lu Wanning ignored her and asked, "What dishes are there? Let me tell you, the food outside is really inedible. It's so unpalatable. Ah, I wasn't so picky before. I didn't used to be so finicky. But now, after being a wealthy young lady for a couple of months, I've become very picky about food and my body has become delicate. It's so uncomfortable."
Jiyue blinked her eyes. "What do you mean by being a wealthy young lady? Your Highness has been a wealthy young lady since childhood. In the whole capital and the whole Great Zhou, you're the most noble one. Of course, you're not used to the food and accommodation in a peasant's house."
Lu Wanning didn't explain. She climbed out of the bathtub and let the maids dry her body. Then she asked, "What interesting things have happened in the mansion and the capital these two days? Tell me."